NEW YORK – Guardant Health said this week that Geisinger Health Plan now covers its Guardant Reveal minimal residual disease test. The assay, which detects circulating tumor DNA in blood samples, is intended to help oncologists identify cancer patients with residual or recurring disease — after initial surgery or other treatment — who may benefit most from adjuvant therapy or surveillance. It is the first blood-only liquid biopsy test commercially available for MRD testing. Specifically, Geisinger will cover testing for individuals with stage II or III colorectal cancer after curative-intent treatment. The frequency of testing covered is aligned with monitoring guidelines established by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network for colorectal cancer, which includes an initial ctDNA test four to six weeks after surgery or two to four weeks after completion of systemic therapy, and follow-up tests every three to six months for the first two years and every six to 12 months for the following three years.
Devyser and Thermo Fisher Scientific this week agreed to include Brazil in their exclusive distribution agreement for Devyser’s post-transplant NGS product portfolio. In addition to North America and Europe, Thermo Fisher will now also exclusively market and sell Devyser’s transplantation products under combined brands in Brazil.
Flatiron Health this week said it has renewed its collaboration with the US Food and Drug Administration's Oncology Center of Excellence focused on exploring how real-world data can be used in regulatory review of medical interventions. Flatiron, a Roche subsidiary, operates a clinico-genomics repository of de-identified clinical data from electronic health records and comprehensive genomic profiling data. In 2016, Flatiron began exploring with the FDA how clinical and genomics data collected on cancer patients outside of the clinical trial setting can provide real-world insights into the safety and efficacy of treatments they're receiving. In renewing their collaboration, Flatiron and the FDA will implement study designs and analytical methods using real-world data and investigate new questions about the activity of cancer treatments and outcomes in patients with solid tumors or hematological malignancies.
ERS Genomics said this week that it has signed a nonexclusive licensing agreement granting AlgenScribe access to its CRISPR-Cas9 patent portfolio. Based in Nice, France, AlgenScribe is developing a genome editing platform for therapeutic use. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
NanoString Technologies said this week that it has entered new partnerships with Macrogen, Propath UK, and Sirona Dx. The partnerships with the three contract research organizations, which provide biomarker testing services for drug developers and academic research institutions, will expand the company’s market access for its CosMx Spatial Molecular Imager, NanoString said.
Liquid biopsy firm Angle said this week that its unaudited interim half-year revenues were £1.2 million ($1.5 million) compared to approximately £419,000 in the same period last year. Product-related revenue represented £800,000 during H1 2023, compared to about £300,000 in H1 2022. Angle said the installed base for its Parsortix systems has reached over 290, with more than 190,000 cumulative samples processed as of June 30. Services-related revenues, meanwhile, were approximately £400,000, up from around £100,000 in the same period in 2022. The company's net loss for the first half of 2023 was £9.8 million, or 3.77 pence per share, compared to a net loss of £9.2 million, or 3.92 pence per share, in H1 2022. Angle ended the first half of 2023 with cash and cash equivalents totaling £22.2 million.
Novacyt said this week it has completed its acquisition of Yourgene Health. The £16.7 million ($20.8 million) all-cash deal was originally announced in July. UK-based Novacyt said at the time that the deal would support the expansion of its product portfolio and geographic footprint. It specifically noted Yourgene's Ranger technology for target DNA arrangement and its noninvasive prenatal testing and PCR offerings. Yourgene's former chairman John Brown and former CEO Lyn Rees will join Novacyt's board as non-executive and executive director, respectively. Initially, they will be non-voting members, then full members upon shareholder ratification at the next annual general meeting, Novacyt said.
Claremont BioSolutions will distribute point-of-care test development firm Gold Colloid's gold nanoparticles under a deal announced this week. The nanoparticles are used in applications such as diagnostics, biosensing, and bioimaging, La Mesa, California-based Gold Colloid said. Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed. Headquartered in Upland, California, Claremont BioSolutions provides products for molecular diagnostics and bioscience research.
In Brief This Week is a selection of news items that may be of interest to our readers but had not previously appeared on GenomeWeb.